This image uses data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission’s radiometer instrument and shows the land surface temperature in the morning of 17 July 2023 during a heatwave. It is worth noting the difference between air temperature and land-surface temperature. Air temperature, given in our daily weather forecasts, is a measure of how hot the air is above the ground. Land-surface temperature instead is a measure of how hot the actual surface feels to the touch. This map shows the temperature of the land’s surface which is hotter than the temperature of the air.
As climate change takes grip, heatwaves such as this are likely to be more frequent and more severe, with far-reaching consequences.